The inspection, treatment and performance of surgical procedures on the vaginal cavity continue to present perplexing problems not satisfactorily resolved by prior teachings and instrumentation. More particularly, problems are encountered in inspecting and treating the cervix owing to the widely varying conditions of the cervix depending upon whether the patient is parous or nulliparous. If the patient is parous, the uterus may be descensus to between a slight and an extreme degree, thereby presenting the physician with widely varying degrees of difficulties and problems, particularly as respects taking a biopsy and more particularly in safely treating cancerous condition by radiation or the like. These and other procedures have need for reliable and foolproof means providing maximum unobstructed access to the vaginal cavity but reliable on dependable means for holding the cervix firmly captive in the most advantageous position.
Prior proposals have been made in furtherance of these and other related objectives and are to be found in U.S. Patents to Kahn No. 2,858,826; Martin No. 3,320.948 and Hasson No. 3,789,829. Kahn proposes the use of a tenaculum in combination with a speculum supported independently of one another and by means of a pedestal anchored to the examination table and in a position seriously obstructing the view and procedures conducted longitudinally of the open speculum. Martin also proposes means for using a tenaculum in association with a speculum but his equipment is subject to the same limitations and shortcomings as Kahn. Hasson discloses only a radium applicator mounted in a special support permanently attached to a speculum and devoid of any means for holding the certix captive relative to the applicator.